When the first edition of Douglas Spotted Eagle's HDV: What You Need to Know appeared in late 2004, many event videographers weren't sure they needed to know anything about the nascent high-definition video acquisition format. Sure, the FCC's HDTV mandate was a looming inevitability, but still a far-off one, and without an HD-capable successor to DVD in place, it was virtually impossible to imagine any reasonable client demanding that her wedding or event video be delivered in HD. And of course the idea of being able to record HD video on cheap and ubiquitous MiniDV tape using cameras with prosumer-level prices sounded quite compelling. But the only HDV camera on the market at the time, JVC's overpriced and under-featured single-chip HD10, barely qualified as a prosumer camera; if this is HDV, many event shooters likely thought, I'm sticking with my VX2000 or XL2 until something better comes along. The good news was, something much better was coming along—Sony's rock-solid HDR-FX1 and HVR-Z1U, and the viable market they ushered in—and HDV: What You Need to Know was a harbinger of the HDV era that began in earnest in early 2005. Spotted Eagle's book described in lucid prose and solid technical detail what HDV was and how it promised to redefine small-studio video production, sized up the products that would begin to populate the field, and explained how videographers could benefit from adopting HDV acquisition even in the absence of a mainstream HD delivery format. Mid-2006 brought the second edition of Spotted Eagle's HDV: What You Need to Know (this time subtitled The Complete Guide). The author's place in the HDV world was already well-assured by much more than the first edition of the book. As one of the principals of VASST and Sundance Media Group, Spotted Eagle has provided not only hands-on live training in HDV and related technologies around the world, but produced some of the leading DVD-based training tools in the market, and developed many key workflow-enhancement plug-ins. Although most closely identified with their Sony Vegas training and workflow products, VASST's, well, vast array of current training titles run the gamut of popular NLEs; the Absolute Training series alone includes a seven-volume set of DVDs designed to educate users in the intermediate-to-advanced use of Apple's Final Cut Studio and the assortment of tools therein.

The second edition of HDV: What You Need To Know greets an HDV world that's similarly multifaceted, with a number of HDV cameras at multiple price points and varied feature sets comprising the landscape; popular prosumer NLEs from Adobe, Apple, Avid, Grass Valley, and Sony embracing the format; and all kinds of accessories in the market that have been designed with HDV in mind. Spotted Eagle's Complete Guide to HDV meets that market with a book that is in fact three books in one: targeted technology overview, buyer's guide, and—most importantly—focused field guide for DV producers making the jump to HDV.

Essential to the positioning of the book is that it assumes you've worked professionally with DV in the past, and want to hit the ground running with HDV, making immediate adjustments to your shooting style and production and postproduction workflows as needed to accommodate the differences between the two formats, and to take immediate advantage of HDV as a higher-resolution and inherently widescreen format, even if your ultimate delivery medium is SD DVD. Which is not to say the book is limited to the HDV-to-DVD workflow; far from it. But Spotted Eagle makes it clear from the outset that HDV acquisition will benefit your work regardless of whether you begin delivering in HD today, next year, or even before you make your next camera upgrade.

The Bigger PictureOne of the key advantages of HDV acquisition, even for videographers who are delivering in DVD or another SD format, is that when you work with HDV in post, you have a lot more wiggle room in an HD image to re-frame or tighten a shot without encountering unwelcome pixelation. In a way, HDV What You Need To Know works a little like a wide HDV image shot from the back of an event venue that's ultimately zoomed in post for an equally crisp and clear shot.

Spotted Eagle begins the book with an examination of what HDV is, explaining how LongGOP MPEG-2 compression works, how the efficiencies of interframe compression enable HDV to compress the vastly increased information in an HD image into the same bit rate as SD NTSC-DV. He discusses the differences between the two HDV formats and interlaced and progressive video, while also getting into somewhat gnarlier, more math-intensive issues like pixel aspect ratios and the necessity of pixel shift in 1440x1080 images. But no matter how technical the topics get, Spotted Eagle keeps the explanations clear and digestible, and the tone appropriately light—for example, giving the reader advanced warning every time he's about to throw in a little unavoidable math.

Choosing and Using HDV GearThe buyer's guide section of the book kicks in next, with a run-down of the various cameras on the market as of this book's mid-2006 publication date and some significant feature comparisons between the different cameras. While the first edition of HDV What You Need to Know might have seemed a little dated in cataloging available cameras by the time that most producers started to realize they needed such a book, this book doesn't have that problem. Even though a number of new cameras (Canon's XH A1 and G1, Sony's V1U and FX7, and JVC's HD110 and HD200, to name a few) were introduced at IBC or thereabouts this year, the book doesn't suffer from their absence. Most of the issues that define an HDV camera purchaser's decision tree (1080/60i vs. 720/24p; audio input support and level controls; lens issues such as filter size, focal length, who manaufactures it, maximum aperture, and interchangeability) were already on the table when this book was written, and those distinctions are well-examined here.

The book does a good job of describing the cameras and the differences between them, and the tone remains balanced and objective throughout. But where the book makes the leap from useful buyer's guide to indispensable field guide is in its discussion of how to shoot HDV effectively (again, coming from the angle of a shooter schooled in 4:3 SD DV who wants to know how to handle and make the most of the new 16:9 HD format) and how that's accomplished with each of the cameras, right down to the correct settings to use. He provides terrific tips on framing 16:9 shots; e.g., "Keep the camera close and take advantage of the ‘real estate' widescreen allows. However, watch out for empty spaces." He also warns against taking too lightly the increased detail that HDV allows, in that it's more likely to unmask a cheap or worn set that wasn't apparent with lower-resolution DV. He also speaks directly to the limitations of highly compressed video in high-motion scenes, and recommends using stabilizing devices or increasing the shutter speed, and avoiding "whipping" the camera around at all times. (This is a recurring theme in the book.)

As useful as this kind of instruction is, I think readers will appreciate the "Standard Operating Procedures" for cameras and "NLE Workflow" sections the most. Most writers usually stay on one side of the dividing line between generalized and tool-specific technology books, and either focus on one or two tools or products to the exclusion of all others, or write from too high a level, and keep their distance from the nitty-gritty of how to work the products they're surveying, using disclaimers like "space permits us from going into detail about all these products." The best thing about this book is that Spotted Eagle dispenses with such formalities and, instinctive hands-on trainer that he is, gets right down to business with each camera, describing not only its features, but how to make them work, how to modify settings, and what all the settings should be. Sometimes this takes the form of explaining, for example, what Black Stretch is on the Sony Z1U and how it can be used to increase detail in dark or black areas (and by all means check out the split image shown in the book's brief Color Plates to section for a direct comparison of Black Stretch on/off—it's eye-popping). Or it may mean going into custom settings for advanced looks in the JVC HD100 like, "Bleach By-Pass: Master Black -6, Black Compress 3, CineLike Off, Color Matrix and Gamma at Srandard, Level Max, Color Gain -8, R Gain and R Rot. -2, G Gain 1, 24p or 30p." This may sound like too much information if you're not a JVC shooter or aren't familiar with the effect he's discussing, but if you are a JVC user with a yen for film effects (and that describes a lot of EventDV readers), it's exactly what you want to find in a book about HDV, and probably didn't expect you would find in a book that's ostensibly designed to cover the topic so broadly.

The same goes for the NLE workflow section, which describes briefly, but with just the right sort of detail, how to ingest HDV into your system, whether you're using Premiere Pro, Vegas, Final Cut, Liquid, EDIUS, or Xpress Pro, what settings you'll need on your PC or Mac and in your NLE, and how to work with the video once it's in there. Spotted Eagle also gives plenty of coverage to the issue of using intermediate codecs vs. editing HDV in native LongGOP MPEG-2, and explains how to convert to intermediate codecs in each tool, as well as the usefulness of faster third-party conversion tools like CineForm's AspectHD and workflow enhancement software like VASST's GearShift plug-in for Vegas. FCP users will be pleased to discover that even though five of the six NLEs discussed are Windows tools, HDV What You Need to Know doesn't skimp on the Mac section; there's plenty of helpful information here, both on working with HDV within FCP and also looking at Mac HDV postproduction on a system level.

Film LooksAny book that purports to tell you all you need to know about HDV would be remiss if it didn't discuss the technologies and techniques used to create a "film look" in the digital format, and any review of this book would be remiss if it didn't mention how well this book explores that issue. Producing a credible film look has been, thus far, at the center of the debate between advocates of the JVC ProHD line, which supports "true 24p" progressive video, and the Sony and Canon lines, which shoot interlaced video and offer only "frame" modes designed to approximate 24p. Before getting sucked into that debate Spotted Eagle makes it clear that there's much more to making digital video look like film than shooting in 24p, that however real the technical differences between interlaced frame modes and "true progressive" shooting modes may be, they're largely imperceptible to the naked eye; and furthermore, he points out that as much as the indie film community (and, I'd add, advocates of "cinematic" wedding and event video) are championing 24p, big-budget Hollywood is doing everything it can to distance itself from it. Furthermore, Spotted Eagle writes, "Most everyone agrees, including independent filmmakers, that the grail of broadcast or delivery is 1080p60 … While 24p is a beautiful, non-realistic (doesn't look like real life) filmic cadence, it also is a marketing hype-driven phrase."

But the the "Film Looks & 24p" chapter isn't primarily an anti-24p polemic. And it's not for the most part an argument that Sony's CineFrame or Canon's 24F are just as good, they're detractors notwithstanding; the comparison clips on the generously stuffed DVD that comes with the book give readers the opportunity to draw their own conclusions. (Incidentally, the DVD includes a very useful calibration chart, among other things.) Rather, the meat of the chapter is a brief tutorial on all the other things involved in producing a credible look besides shooting in 24p, such as filters materials for film-like diffusion; shutter speeds; techniques for getting a shallower, more film-like depth of field; and more. Essential reading for any HDV adopter with filmic leanings.

Blu-ray and BeyondHDV What You Need to Know, The Complete Guide closes with a quick look at Blu-ray (and an even quicker look at HDV) as the next-generation technologies for those who deliver on DVD. The book is nearly six months old as I write this and it's ironic that with all the swirling hype surrounding Blu-ray and HD DVD in that time, the book hardly seems dated in that respect; not much has really happened with these technologies at all in terms of real market impact. They may be growing up in public, but their market isn't maturing any faster because of it.

A year from now, the HD delivery landscape will look significantly different. If 2005 and 2006 were the years of HD acquisition's initial explosion into the prosumer mainstream, thanks to HDV, 2007 and 2008 should bring about the same sort of shift for HD video delivery as Blu-ray and/or HD DVD take center stage, and seasoned HDV videographers will be ready to make the most of it. And those with HDV What You Need to Know in hand are well on their way already.

HDV: What You Need To Know, The Complete Guide (2nd. Ed.) is available from VASST for $29.95.

M-Audio, a leading provider of creative tools for computer-centric musicians, is proud to announce the new NRV10 analog mixer with integral FireWire interface. The computer recognizes NRV10 as a 10 x 10 FireWire digital interface, delivering the best of both worlds—digital production with analog control. With the included NRV10 interFX application, users can turn the NRV10 and a compatible Mac or PC into a robust live digital mixer with support for third-party VST effects. The unit also represents the latest family member of the nearly two dozen audio interfaces compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered—and is compatible with most other popular DAW software as well.

Designed as a nerve center for computer-based recording and performance, the NRV10 boasts a professional-quality 8 x 2 analog mixer with a built-in 10 x 10 24-bit/96kHz FireWire digital audio interface. M-Audio's award-winning Octane preamp technology assures best-of-class performance. The four mono channels and two stereo channels of the NRV10 allow users to keep all their favorite instruments, microphones, and other gear connected while working. At any time, each channel can easily and discretely record to individual tracks in audio applications such as Pro Tools M-Powered and Ableton Live 6.

Conversely, it discretely returns multiple channels of pristine digital audio to the mixer for CPU-free monitoring, mixing, and processing. (Competitors typically provide only a stereo return, according to M-Audio.) In-line monitoring eliminates the hassle of changing levels between recording and playback. Two aux buses enable routing to external processors or creating a custom headphone mix. The fusion of an analog mixer and a digital interface in the NRV10 is also a boon in live performance. Using computer-based tracks on live gigs used to require making and saving software adjustments for parameters like levels, EQ and effects just so everything sounded right. Now, the NRV10 provides easy analog mixer control over direct feeds from multiple computer-based tracks.

Musicians can perfect their tracks in the studio, then make temporary tweaks on the NRV10 for live performances. As a bonus, elements like live vocals can run through the same processing used in the original studio tracks. The NRV10 even has built-in digital effects to enhance tracks without the hassle of modifying files. The NRV10 has many more live applications. Its flexible monitor source assignment can send the drummer a headphone click track—and even lets a DAW's automation change effects and other parameters on the fly live for different song sections. For live dance music, the monitoring section facilitates auditioning material via headphones DJ-style before routing it to the main mix. For soft synth users, the NRV10, a laptop, and an M-Audio MIDI controller are a great way to perform them on stage. The unit is also ideal for making multitrack recordings of live performances and recording different players to separate tracks using an application like Pro Tools

The NRV10 features best-of-class audio performance. Input channels include ¼" TRS balanced line input, phantom-powered XLR balanced microphone input (ch. 1-5), channel/FireWire selector, ¼" inserts (ch. 1-4), gain control, 3-band EQ (80Hz, 2.5kHz, 12kHz), monitor send, effect send, pan/balance, volume fader with peak indicator LED and mute/cue button. The unit also features two mono aux sends and two stereo aux returns. Outputs include both XLR balanced and ¼" balanced main connections. Independent volume is provided for mix, control room, and headphones, and the monitoring section includes the ability to pre-listen or audition cues before committing them to the main mix for live dance music.

The unit also features a built-in effects section with 16 effects, allowing users to unburden the computer for basic effects—especially handy live or when practicing. The effects include reverbs, delays, rotary speaker, flanger, chorus, tremolo, and more, plus variations, mute, and peak LED. In addition to the onboard effects, the included NRV10 interFX software turns the NRV10 and a host Windows or Mac computer into an even more powerful mixing console complete with multi-effects processing. The application adds a compressor, expander/gate, and two VST effect slots to each mixer channel—letting users process live instruments and mics with their favorite computer-based effects. Users can save and recall all settings.

The NRV10 is currently expected to ship in November at an MSRP of $899.95.

ProCon has announced the PC-C516DL4-DF-RM-H, a 5-Drive DVD/CD Duplication System custom built to serve your duplicating needs. The ProCon Rackmount features professional drives, a 2-unit rackmount case, and cooling for the highest performance and reliability. The internal hard drive allows you to keep a library of disk images online for easy duplication.

This unit provides users with a 2U robust rackmountable form factor designed for audio, video, and data. In addition to offering superior ventilation and cooling the ProCon Rackmount features a user friendly interface and a 250 Gigabyte internal hard drive for storage of multiple images. Full compatibility of all DVD and CD formats including DVD-R, DVD+R and Dual Layer, and fast recording speeds of 16X for DVD allow users to enjoy high volume throughput capability and quick return on investment. Track extraction and disc compilation are standard features of the ProCon Rackmount, making it the best price/performance rackmount DVD/CD duplication solution available.

Featuring a very user friendly 2-button interface, any novice or professional user can operate the systems as easily as a paper copier machine. Burn More: ProCon's DVD/CD duplication system can run up to (5) drive simultaneously. Each drive is independent; eliminating interference with other drive's writing speed.

ProCon Duplication Systems support the newest 16X Dual Layer / Dual Format DVD-R and 40X CD-R drive speeds. 250GB Storage: With the 250GB internal Hard Drive (HDD) you can save Image Files within the system. The high read speed of the HDD will stabilize the duplication process and prevent the degradation of your data/audio/video files. High-Speed Connections: Connect the duplicator to a PC or Mac system via a USB 2.0 or Firewire/IEEE- 1394 cable from the back of the unit. Rackmount Industrial Case: 2U Rackmount Industrial style enclosure, with superior ventilation for high duty cycle performance.

SmartSound Software, Inc. today announced that it will be presenting "Do-It-Yourself Music Scoring for Independent Filmmakers" as part of the "Works on a Mac" Series at the Apple Store Third Street Promenade (1248 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA) on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. The free session features radio host, author and Final Cut Pro expert Philip Hodgetts sharing tips and tricks for filmmakers looking to achieve a big-budget score for their projects at a minimal cost while maintaining creative control.

As part of this session, Hodgetts will show how to score film projects in Final Cut Pro using SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 4 with Mood Mapping. This innovative solution gives the truly independent filmmaker access to the same resources they would have when working with a full crew to score their scenes. Sonicfire Pro 4 gives editors multiple versions of any track in SmartSound's library and the ability to control the mix of individual instrument layers through a single Mood Map track.

"It used to be that achieving a high-quality music score was not possible for a lot of people working with budget constraints," said Hodgetts. "However, new products such as Sonicfire Pro 4 have made it possible for anyone to score their projects with a final result that matches the quality of working with a composer - and for a fraction of the cost." SmartSound is the leading name with professionals for music scoring solutions. Sonicfire Pro 4 is now bundled with Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress Pro packages.

In addition, the entire SmartSound solution is now pre-installed on Avid and Final Cut Pro rental packages from Wexler Video in Burbank. "Sonicfire Pro 4 not only gives independent filmmakers an affordable solution for scoring their films, the unique nature of our solution allows them to maintain creative control throughout the entire post-production process," said Brian Dickman, Vice President of Marketing for SmartSound Software, Inc. "This event showcases how our product can integrate easily with tools filmmakers are already using, like Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack Pro." Joining SmartSound to present the event is Filmmakers Alliance, a community of film artists bound by a commitment to realize the full creative potential of independent film.

Now, for a limited time, Litepanels is offering a free filter kit and carrying bag valued at $195 with every new Litepanels 1x1 light. The kit includes four 3200ºK or 5600ºK color correction gels plus two diffusion filters.

Available in daylight flood and spot and tungsten versions, Litepanels 1x1 is the revolutionary professional LED lighting source that has taken the industry by storm. Featuring a sleek, ultraslim profile and innovative, modular design, the light has received worldwide praise for its remarkable versatility and pure, luminous, soft directional output.

The offer is valid for all 1x1 fixture purchases whether online or from a dealer by March 15, 2007.

Avid Technology, Inc. today announced that it will participate in the DV Expo (Booth # 611), taking place from November 14 - 17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. During the show, Avid will demonstrate new technology for independent content creators, including Avid Media Composer software running on Intel-based Macs; and Avid Studio Toolkit - the first set of tightly integrated, industry-leading software applications (Avid 3D, Avid FX, and Avid DVD by Sonic) to offer simultaneous DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring.

The company will also showcase the Avid Liquid system at its booth - a solution for event videographers and video enthusiasts who are looking for DVD authoring, surround-sound audio processing, and thousands of effects in one, integrated application. DV Expo Special Guest Presentation On November 16, at the Avid booth, award-winning Independent Filmmaker Joe Eckhart will discuss the workflow he's used on various films using Avid Xpress Studio. Eckhart is co-founder of the Film Emporium, a motion picture company in Los Angeles, and producer/director/editor of "Nice Guys," as well as the forthcoming film A Happy Death, starring Chevy Chase, Jay Mohr, and Adam Rodriguez. He will share his experiences making low-budget feature films using Avid tools, talk about the potential benefits of the Blu-ray format for independent professionals and demonstrate how to output a film to Blu-ray disc.

In the days leading up to the convention, DV Expo will host the following training sessions for content creators interested in learning the basics of Media Composer software, and/or how to create and use effects in the Media Composer system. Sessions are as follows:

Editing with Avid Media Composer, November 12-14 from 9:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.: A three-day course that introduces the concepts of nonlinear editing and includes all basic features of the Avid Media Composer system for Windows and Macintosh. Session time is divided between demonstration and hands-on practice, with ample time for experimentation with sample SD and HD material.

Automatic Duck (www.automaticduck.com), the creators of Timeline Integration Engine software for digital media artists, today announced that it will debut its newest versions of Pro Import FCP and Pro Export FCP, now compatible with new Intel-based Mac and MacBook platforms from Apple Computer, at DV Expo West 2006 next week at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

In addition to demonstrating its new Intel-based solutions, Automatic Duck will highlight Pro Import FCP and its ability to import image moves in Avid sequences using StageTools' MovingPicture into Final Cut Pro - a new feature announced with the Intel platform migration initiative. The preferred plug-in of thousands of documentary editors, MovingPicture enables its users to incorporate pans and zooms to images with high image quality.

On October 25th, Band Pro hosted a free all-day workshop on the Sony XDCAM HD at their Burbank headquarters. Band Pro's own Jeff Cree led the presentation to an assembled crowd of nearly 50 industry professionals, including DPs, producers, directors, and operators.

Fellow presenters were as follows:

Mike DesRoches, Storage Sales Support Engineer with Sony

James Lee of 16X9, Inc.

cinematographer Jody Eldred.

Cree covered the design philosophy of the PDW-330/350, including the use of its extensive menu system to customize the look of the camera. "With proper operation the menus allow the operator more control than after the image has gone to tape," said Cree. DesRoches discussed the XDCAM HD's file management/file access mode options and the first use of Blu-Ray technology on an HD camera.

He was followed by Lee, representing an industry leader in HD & HDV accessories distribution, who demonstrated how easily the camera can be configured for cine-style production with the addition of mattebox and follow focus options.

Eldred closed the event by relating his field experiences of shooting with the camera and provided a show-and-tell of the Final Cut Pro interface. Eldred was one of the first to adopt the XDCAM HD and presented footage he had shot with one of the prototypes. When asked his opinion of the camera, Reggie Rutherford of Rutherford Entertainment said, "It's fantastic. I'll take delivery on the 28th!" After the free workshop, Director of Photography, Paolo Cascio said, "One of the things I love about Band Pro is that they allow people out in the field to come in and get hands-on knowledge. It's very boutique."

As part of their tradition of unique, specialized service, Band Pro will be hosting their annual "One World on HD" Open House on December 14th, featuring leading equipment manufacturers and special industry guests.

QZEO, the pro broadcast reseller division of Computer Modules, Inc., announced today that they are have been appointed to sell the new GY-HD250U high definition camcorder from JVC Professional Products Company. QZEO is a southern California distributor for JVC Professional Products Company.

In addition to being an affordable studio-capable HD camera, the compact GY-HD250U is a lightweight shoulder-style camcorder with extensive features for Electronic News Gathering (ENG) and cinematography applications. It records in multiple formats to meet the many needs of professional broadcasters and content providers. "QZEO's customers will enjoy this camcorder's flexible recording options," stated Paul Kasparian, Vice President of JVC's digital video division.

Videographers and cinematographers can record footage onto mini DV tapes or the optional DR-HD100U Direct-to-Edit recorder. They can also record on both formats at the same time for archiving purposes. Additional features include flexible connectivity, built-in genlock capability, component and HD-SDI output, and time code sync.